#BlancpainGT – Toni Forné kicks off 2019 season in style with superb podium finish at Monza

Forné stepped second onto the Am class podium after delivering a strong performance in the Ratòn Racing-run Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO. Forné’s mid-race stint in difficult wet conditions play a key role to achieve the rostrum finish.

Last weekend, Toni Forné made a strong comeback to ultracompetitive Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, in which the Spaniard will contest at the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO of Ratòn Racing. Forné, who has joined up with Stefano Constantini and Christoph Lenz, put on such a strong showing during the race and proved to be a solid AM class title contender.

Forné, who already set the pace for Ratòn Racing in private testing, felt optimistic heading into qualifying on Sunday morning. But heavy rain meant that and Forné and his teammates only could secure 41st on the starting grid. Anyway, the Lamborghini had already showed pace in previous free practice sessions and there was a long 3-hour race ahead.

Constantini made the opening stint with the safety-car leading the pack in the first laps due to rain. When the green flag was finally waved, Constantini moved through the field and after making the first stop, the Green Lambo was already fighting for the lead. Despite clutch issues costing valuable time during pit-stops, Forné kept title fight in class and consolidated the podium. Lenz took the checkered flag in second place after his 50-minute stint.

Forné explained that “it was an extremely tough race due to rain, but finally we managed to put a huge effort, team and drivers together, to bring home a nice result. Despite a drive through penalty and clutch issues in the pit stops, in which we lost the Am class lead, we secured a strong finish to collect valuable championships for the lead. The competition levels in the Blancpain championship is extremely high. Just a small example. We finished second in our Am class, but we would have also finished second in Pro-am. And the winners in our class fought for a top-ten result overall.” Forné also stressed that “I’m pleased with my performance throughout the weekend because especially tire management was tricky. We experienced very low grip levels and sometimes rain stopped, so this factor could destroy your tires due to high pressures. Pirelli told us to be careful with tires and we had to nurse them avoiding dry asphalt. I managed to do it and we didn’t have a single flat tire during the race. Many drivers, including factory ones, struggled with that. So, I’m extremely happy and this second place is a morale boost for our next event in Great Britain. We will keep pushing to keep podium streak rolling at Silverstone!”

Silverstone, the home of British Grand Prix, will host Round 2 on May 11-12.

Photo credit: FotoSpeedy / Patrick Hecq Photography